You're Not Me!
by Speederice
Summary: What happens when you wish you had someone else's life? For Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba, making such a wish may have disastrous results! Based off the song, You're Not Me from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie, these two rivals will learn more than they ever planned!
1. Chapter 1: Seto

Hey Everyone, First off, thanks for reading this. It's my first fanfic EVER, and I hope you guys really enjoy it.

I'm a pretty big _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ nerd, so this story will make reference to a lot of the events in the anime (English version, sorry!) so hopefully you guys will enjoy the nods to the source material.

This story takes place right after (like a week or two) the events of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie, which is when this was written, and that takes place right after Battle City and before the crazy Doma Orikalkos arc. It's written with the lyrics of You're Not Me, from the movie's soundtrack in mind, and focuses on Yugi and Kaiba and how their lives may not be as glamorous as everyone thinks they are.

Again, first fanfic, please be nice! Haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or You're Not Me, or any characters involved in this story. I do, however, own a Duel Disk and need to dig it out of my basement now.

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_**You're Not Me**_

**Chapter 1**

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"_You think you've got it all,_

_Everyone Thinks I've Got it Made Well,_

_How Come My Only Friends are the Ones I Pay?_

_And No One Understands,_

_What I Would Do To Change My Life for Just One Day."_

**KAIBA**

"And in other news, Yugi Mutou continues to dominate the Duel Monsters Card Game, with his legendary Egyptian 'God' Cards; blowing away all competition in a manner similar to his performance in the KaibaCorp Battle City Tourna-" The news reporter vanished as the entire television screen went black.

Seto Kaiba glared at the empty flat-panel screen embedded in a bookcase across his office. The sixteen-year-old CEO of the Kaiba Corporation was beginning to tire of all the attention surrounding his rival as a result of the outcome of the Battle City Tournament, a tournament that he organized primarily to obtain the Egyptian God Cards – three immensely powerful one-of-a-kind Duel Monster cards - for himself. Thousands of gaming fans watched the live broadcast across the country as Yugi defeated Kaiba in the semi-finals, claiming the one God in Kaiba's possession, _Obelisk the Tormenter,_ for his own collection. The boy grimaced at the memory.

"What a joke. How do they have the audacity to even consider him a duelist? There is no strategy in his deck. It's all luck and chance! He merely finds some miraculous way to summon one of those God cards and the duel's won," Kaiba frowned and placed the TV remote on his cluttered desk. Figures with bar graphs and statistics littered the desktop, all the while an eleventh-grade Biology book sat on top of Kaiba's paperwork. He closed the book, and opened a desk drawer.

Inside rested his deck of sixty carefully selected Duel Monster cards. They included some of the top and rarest cards of the game, centered around the powerful _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ card. Formally the strongest card in the game, minus the five-card _Exodia_ set, there were only three _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ cards in the entire world, and each resided in Kaiba's deck. The game may change and evolve, but Kaiba would never replace these dragons. Shuffling through the cards, he stopped on the _Blue-Eyes_. "I've come so close to beating him so many times, it's like I'm the only one who knows how overrated he truly is."

Kaiba's eyes wandered to the spread of papers under his textbook: Construction Bills from KaibaCorp's latest endeavor, a Duel Dome where players could watch their card battles spring to life using holographic technology. The dome lasted one battle, Kaiba had challenged Yugi in a quest to defeat his God Cards once and for all, but the match was cut short when mystical forces intervened and the Dome collapsed in the struggle. The CEO was still sifting through reconstruction fees. He snorted at the thought of that match.

"The media certainly seems to miss Yugi's obsession that he is some descendent of an ancient Egyptian Pharoah or something. As if jewelry could channel spirits, especially ones that would want to play card games," Kaiba picked up some of the papers. "That ancient two-ton dusty pyramid he wears around his neck is like some kind of good luck charm, I've never seen him take it off. The kid's lucky he hasn't been committed to a mental institution."

"You'll be committed if you don't stop talking to yourself, Seto," squeaked a ten-year-old boy as he walked in through the sliding glass door into the office. "You've been here way too long if you're onto that again. Ready to go home, Big Brother?"

"I can't, Mokuba. I'm still looking for replacements for Gansley, Crump, and Leichter, remember? Without a complete Board of Directors, I have to do everything by myself around here."

Mokuba Kaiba frowned. Ever since his older brother's Board of Directors were locked away in a virtual reality game during a coup attempt on the company, Seto has been a ghost around the Kaiba mansion. Mokuba would eat dinner and breakfast by himself, cradling a scribbled note of apology from Seto about this early meeting or that late development. Mokuba was startled from his reverie when he heard Kaiba's voice: "How was school today?"

The younger boy grimaced and produced a note from his bag and handed it to his brother. Everything was silent as Kaiba read the note, then turned his chair around, his back toward Mokuba. "Again? This is the third slip I've had to sign this week." His voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

Mokuba grit his teeth as he stared at the high back of Kaiba's office chair. "I….I know Seto, and I'm really _really_ sorry! It's just….they were saying you're a has-been, and making fun of your company, and calling you names! It was horrible! And no one ever wants to be you when we pretend to play Duel Monsters. I mean you were the Champion of the World! They all just wanna be Yugi…"

Again it was silent in the office. Mokuba looked down, the silence was hard for the ten-year-old to bear, and the temperature in the room felt it had plummeted fifty degrees. The voice from the chair was just as frigid, "Get out, Mokuba. Fighting is not the way to deal with people. As true as it is that you must stand up for yourself and what you believe in, getting into fist fights is barbaric and beneath you, and furthermo-"

Mokuba cut him off, "I was DEFENDING you!! You don't know what people are saying about you! You've been sealed up in this concrete prison all day long that you don't know what's going on outside!"

"Get. Out. Mokuba. I will deal with you when I get home," Kaiba said without raising his voice or turning his chair. He continued to stare out of the picture window behind him at the world below. There was finality in his voice, which Mokuba knew better than to challenge. Defeated, the young boy turned and sadly shuffled from the office, dragging his book bag behind him.

Kaiba turned back around in his chair and pressed the intercom to contact his secretary. "Amanda, contact Anthony. My brother will need to be taken home now, he should be headed down to the lobby soon."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba," came the response from the speaker in his desk. Kaiba sifted through some figures on his desk muttering, "Won't be long little brother. I will rebuild this company from the ground up. Kaiba Corporation will return to its former glory. Before Battle City. Before Yugi Mutou." He trailed off when he noticed a paper in Mokuba's handwriting on the floor.

"One of his school papers. He must have dropped it," Kaiba rose from his desk and bent down to retrieve the paper. "Let's see how well Mokuba's private Spelling tutor has done his job." Kaiba unfolded the assignment and smiled at the A on the top of the page. His eyes scanned the paper and his smile quickly dissolved.

**MY ROLE MODEL**

**By Mokuba Kaiba**

**My role model is someone who I would like to be when I grow up. If I could be anyone in the world I think I would like to be Yugi Mutou. He's really good at Duel Monsters and is really nice. He won the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments recently, and I met him a few times. In Duelist Kingdom, he even helped beat this bad man who wanted to impersonate my brother! Seto doesn't really like him very much but oh well, both are my friends.**

**I really think Yugi is cool. He is the role model I would like to be**.


	2. Chapter 2: Yugi

Hey Everyone, First off, thanks for reading this. Chapter 2 of my first fanfic EVER, and I hope you guys really enjoy it.

I'm a pretty big _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ nerd, so this story will make reference to a lot of the events in the anime (English version, sorry!) so hopefully you guys will enjoy the nods to the source material.

This story takes place right after (like a week or two) the events of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie, which is when this was written, and that takes place right after Battle City and before the crazy Doma Orikalkos arc. It's written with the lyrics of You're Not Me, from the movie's soundtrack in mind, and focuses on Yugi and Kaiba and how their lives may not be as glamorous as everyone thinks they are.

I wasn't sure if it was better to try to type out Joey's accent in this chapter or not...so I tried it typed out. Let me know in the reviews if its too hard to read and I'll stop typing it how it sounds for the rest of the story. But I think it's kind of fun to try to type the way a New Yawka talks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or You're Not Me, or any characters involved in this story. I do, however, own a deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and I wanna duel somebody.

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_**You're Not Me!**_

** Chapter 2**

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"_Please, take me as I am,_

_This isn't what I planned,_

_I guess I don't expect that_

_You could understand,_

'_Cuz You're Not Me."_

**YUGI**

"Yo Yuge, ya spacin' out on me again?" Joey Wheeler called in his thick Brooklyn accent.

Yugi Mutou snapped awake. He had been deep in conversation with Yami, the Egyptian Pharaoh whose spirit resides in the Millennium Puzzle, an ancient artifact Yugi constantly wore on a chain around his neck. The boy served as a host for the wondering spirit of Yami, and together they were on a quest to unlock more mysteries about the Pharaoh's past. "Oh sorry Joey, this past month I've been completely exhausted."

"It's all right. I undastand. You've always got that crazy stuff goin' on in ya head with your puzzle and especially now that ya got the God Cards and all…"

"Yeah," Yugi reached for his card case on the side of his belt reassuringly. He wore his deck with him everywhere he went, so that nothing would be stolen while he was away from home. The two were sneaking carefully through their school building to find Tristan Taylor and Tea Gardner, two more of Yugi's friends.

A strong voice resounded inside Yugi's thoughts, "_I was just reflecting, Yugi, on how much we've put Tea, Tristan, and Joey through over the years_. _From the madness of Duelist Kingdom to Marik's dark quest to destroy me…They've been by our side through thick and thin, even now doing all this for us._"

Yugi smirked and responded, "Though this is really for my benefit Pharaoh, these last few weeks have been ridiculous."

"_The price of fame I'm afraid."_

Joey's voice punctuated Yugi's internal conversation, "Dis is such a pain to through everyday. These back hallways afta school lets out, and dressin' you all up," Joey laughed. "Though I must admit, it is funny, 'specially that hat."

Yugi frowned, "I feel really bad about putting you guys through this. Ever since Battle City, I haven't been able to go the mailbox without people wanting to challenge me in a duel for my God Cards, let alone go to school or the mall without being hassled."

"All wannabe chumps. They wouldn't be able to handle us."

Yugi smirked, "Us? I haven't seen anyone calling your house night and day, Joey."

Joey's nostrils flared as his face turned red, " Ey! Watch it! Bein' fourth in Battle City hasta count for somethin'. And runner up in Duelist Kingdom too! It's about time some of dese wannabes started showin' Joey Wheeler some respect!"

"Joey Wheeler? Never heard of that dork," came a voice from the end of the hall. A boy rounded the corner followed by a teenage girl with her arms full of bags.

"Tristan! Tea! I was wondering when you two would show," Yugi shouted.

"Pipe down would you?" Tristan shushed, looking behind the group. "I could hear you two a mile away. I value my life too much to be killed in a stampede over a card game."

"Oh give it a rest, we're here to help him," Tea replied angrily. Her face softened as she looked at Yugi. "This is like your some kind of celebrity hiding from the paparazzi! Oh, it's so exciting! Here's your disguise for today," She tossed the bags at Yugi, which nearly made the boy fall over.

"Gee, thanks Tea," Yugi grumbled trying to recover from the weight of the bags. He pulled out a large trench coat, fedora, and thick black sunglasses. "I feel like I'm some sort of vampire or something…"

"They're my Dad's!" Tea replied bubbling over playing dress-up with Yugi, "He obviously has no sense of style. I'm so glad I have my mother's taste in fashion."

"…says you," Tristan whispered to Joey under his breath.

After stuffing his wild spiky hair into the fedora, Yugi was incognito and led out of the building by his three friends, so he did not run into a wall with his dark sunglasses. The group made it out of the school without incident, though Tea's English teacher did shoot them a questioning look. "Science Experiment!" She shouted, as they shoved Yugi out the door.

"C'mon guys," Joey called. "Da quickest way to Yugi's is that shortcut through the woods." On his suggestion, the four began to make their way through Domino Woods to the Kame Game Shop, where Yugi's Grandfather, Solomon Mutou, lived and worked. Yugi lived with his Grandpa in the Game Shop, but the stress of his newfound fame has taken its toll on them both. Former patrons of the shop now demand duels with Yugi to continue doing business with Solomon. When they lose the match, they get so angry that they leave, refusing to buy anything from the store without a rematch. The cycle never ends, and Yugi's Grandpa's shop was suffering.

"Oh, this is so gross!" Tea whined over as she stepped in a puddle of mud in the underbrush. "I just hope there aren't any creepy bugs around."

A high pitched laugh echoed from the forest treetops. "You insult me, you ignorant twat!" A boy shouted as he jumped from a tree branch above the group, and landed on the forest floor below.

"Weevil Underwood!" Joey's face crinkled in disgust. "The Insect Duelist! Why don't you buzz off, ya little worm?"

The short blue-haired boy pushed his large glasses up his nose. "Very funny you brute, but I haven't waited in this forest all day for the likes of you for nothing. I knew you would take this shortcut, and I am not alone!" He pointed up to a tree branch behind them, as another boy jumped down toward the group.

This one had brown and white hair sticking out from under a red ski cap. He wore a green jacket with a yellow shirt underneath. This was Rex Raptor, the Dinosaur Duelist, and second runner-up to Weevil in the Duel Monsters Regional Championship.

"We should have known," Tristan grumbled. "It's just our luck. Of all the people we could possibly run into, it's the Geek and the Creep."

"Which one of us is the….no matter! Call us whatever you want, Chump," Rex replied, his voice as gravely as stone. "We're here for the Gods, so hand 'em over quietly or we'll take 'em by force!"

Weevil pointed at the clump of jacket that was Yugi and grinned. "That pathetic disguise can't fool us! We know Yugi would never go anywhere without his pack of cheerleaders! So let's go!" He pushed a button on a circular device strapped to his arm, and a large tray unfolded outward from the disk. The hallmark of the Kaiba Corporation, the _Duel Disk_ allowed Duel Monsters players to project the monsters on their cards into holograms, permitting portable matches that could take place anywhere. It is the instant sign, a calling card highly visible on the wearer's arm, of a duelist looking for a challenge. "I officially challenge you, Yugi Mutou, in a duel for your God Cards!" Weevil shrieked.

Yugi stammered, backing up toward a clearing in the forest. "Not…uh….not today guys. Maybe another time. I really need to get home to finish my homework, and check-up on my Grandpa!"

Rex Raptor stepped closer, edging the gap between them and slapping his deck of cards into his own duel disk. "Awwww, is little Yugi petrified? You don't have much of a choice, I'm afraid. This is an official challenge! You don't understand how much we've lost since Battle City. People are calling us wash-outs! Endangered Champions! Extinct! With those God Cards, we'll be the Tyrannosaurs of the Duel Monsters World!"

Joey made a face, "Honestly, do you guys search the Internet for bad puns…or do dey just kinda happen?" He grit his teeth and stepped in front of Yugi. Tristan followed suit, giving a signal for Yugi and Tea to make a break for it when they had the chance. "This ain't Battle City. Yugi doesn't hafta take up every challenge no more. Plus, you'se guys ain't even in his league! I could beat yas with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back!" Joey's rant bought Yugi and Tea time to break off from the group and head deeper into the woods. He activated his own duel disk, which he started wearing at all times, to help detract attention from Yugi, and in an attempt to be taken more seriously. "Now, if you'se are lookin' for a real challenge…"

"Who, your Mom?" Tristan snorted.

"Watch it you…"

Weevil and Rex tried to push their way past Joey and Tristan, clearly not interested in Joey's counter-challenge. "He's getting away! Quick! Call Mako, Espa, Bones, and the others! Those God Cards will be ours!" Rex pulled out his cell phone on Weevil's orders. "Tell them the target is moving to coordinates X-22 heading north."

Tristan swore under his breath, "They've mapped out the entire city! These idiots are co-operating now! C'mon Joey, we'd better go find Yugi and Tea. I don't think they realize what they're in for."

They took off into the woods, as Weevil called after them, "Your little pal is about to be exterminated!"

Yugi and Tea had been running through the dense forest for ten minutes. Yugi had to bring his hands to his ears to block out Tea's incessant whining. "We're almost there, Tea! I promise!" He had ditched his hat, coat, and glasses in the brush, and winced as the heavy Millennium Puzzle necklace slammed into his chest as he ran. "We had to take a slightly longer route to try to get around Rex and Weevil, but Gramps' shop is right…up….ahead…" Yugi trailed off as he spotted Mako Tsunami, the Water Duelist, gathered with ten others, all wearing duel disks on their arms and waiting at the forests' edge. Yugi grabbed Tea's mouth as she started to gasp, and pulled her to the ground.

"Yami has a plan." He whispered quickly, as the pair huddled under a fern, trying to keep out of sight. He cradled his pyramid-shaped necklace, as it softly glowed, signaling the switch between Yugi's soul and the Pharaoh's. The two would often switch places during duels, Yami possessing the skill and confidence that Yugi sometimes lacked. Tea began to ask what he was going to do, when the Pharaoh pressed a finger to her lips. Using his free hand, he scooped up a pile of rocks and threw them deep into the forest away from their current position. The distraction worked perfectly, as Mako and the other duelists pointed in the direction of where the rocks landed and rushed off into the forest.

"That'll buy us some time," the deep voice of the Pharaoh reverberated from Yugi's lips. He helped Tea up to her feet, before brushing himself off. "Come on, let's see if Joey and Tristan beat us to Yugi's Grandfather's shop." The pair quickly exited the forest and entered downtown Domino.

Tea watched in awe as Yami gracefully slithered into a dark alley and beckoned for her to follow. "I can't believe you can go through this everyday, Pharaoh. Doesn't it get to you after a while? All these card battles…And school on top of all that…and then all this weird Egyptian stuff keeps happening…" She trailed off remembering that she was speaking to Yami, the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, and not Yugi. Her cheeks turned bright red. "Oops! Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that…it's just… I mean duel after duel, challenge after challenge…is the game any fun anymore?"

Yami quietly looked down at the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck, and Tea could detect a hint of sadness on his face. The artifact began to glow, "I'll give Yugi the message, Tea." He replied grimly, as he swapped souls with Yugi again.

"No…no, I'm fine," Yugi lied. "I just feel really bad about dragging everyone else into this," In truth, it had bothered him that he had become a celebrity overnight. It really was getting boring playing match after match against kids who were not close to the caliber of duelist he was used to. Nowhere near the skill level of Seto Kaiba, Mai Valentine, or even Joey. Yugi sighed in relief as he looked up at the Kame Game Store's bright neon sign. They'd arrived at last.

He pushed open the door, expecting to see his Grandpa stationed in his usual post, behind the glass counter filled with Duel Monsters cards. However, Grandpa was nowhere to be seen and Yugi instantly feared the worst. Ever since the eccentric creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus, kidnapped his Grandfather's very soul in the Duelist Kingdom tournament, Yugi's been overly protective of the older man's well being. He even refused to go back to school after the tournament, until Joey, Tea, and Tristan forcefully dragged him.

"Grandpa?! Gramps? Where are you?!" Yugi shouted, jumping the counter and rushing into the backroom. Tea followed him inside, but Yugi paid no attention to her.

An older man called from the back of the store. "He's not here and you're probably not good enough to duel him anyway!" Waves of relief washed over Yugi as he heard his Grandpa's reply.

"No Gramps, it's me," Yugi replied, making his way to his Grandfather's side. Solomon was crouched over a stack of papers in his back office. His forehead was creased and documents from the State littered the tabletop. "Grandpa, what is all this!?"

The old man let out a heavy sigh. "It's…it's the bank. They say we've missed two months worth of mortgage payments on the Game Shop." His voice cracked as he slumped into his chair, "They're taking the store away from me, Yugi."

"What! They're foreclosing!?" Yugi shouted. "Grandpa, they can't do that! This is our home! Where will we live? I thought we made all the payments…how'd we get so far behind?"

Tea stood in the doorway of the office, tears welling in her eyes. Yugi had been doing his best to watch over everything in the household, and that included the bills and his Grandfather's health. He took it upon himself to manage everything, and still find time for school and dueling. What were the Mutou's going to do now?

Grandpa shifted in his chair. "I…I've been trying to do what I could to scrape up the money, really. I have. The truth is we just haven't been selling enough. With all the people who want to duel you leaving the store…I tried to talk to the bank Yugi, I just don't know what to do…" His breathing became strained as the words continued to break. "I'm so sorry, Yugi…so sorr…" Grandpa's eyes rolled back into his head as his breathing came in short bursts.

Yugi reached for his Grandpa, catching him by the shoulders, as his head hit the table, and his breathing stopped completely.


	3. Chapter 3: Seto

Back for an update, this time from Seto's side. :-)

Moving to a plot soon, I promise! Things are thickening, and I offer a big Thanks to my main Panda Muse.

Updates may be slow, I'm re-writing this story from scratch because I've lost the original documents! So enjoy what's here, and look forward to great stuff to come!

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**_You're Not Me_**

**Chapter 3 **

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"_I know you think you're being nice,_

_But spare me all your lame advice,_

_It's time to play my hand and roll the dice,_

_Everybody's got their price."_

**KAIBA**

"No! Not again! This can't be. There must be something I can do!" Seto Kaiba (**LP: 4000**) frantically searched his hand of cards for an answer. His three _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ holograms (**ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500**) roared before him, looming down on his opponent.

"Wrong, I've defeated you Kaiba. With this move, the duel is over," Yugi Mutou (**LP: **1100) stood across the arena. A projection of his _Dark Paladin_ (**ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400**) stood on the field. The special ability of the _Dark Paladin_ boosted the attack points for each Dragon-type card on the field, and in the graveyard of used cards. It was as if this card was built specifically to counter Kaiba's deck, as the _Dark Paladin_'s attack power increased to a mighty **4,400**, 1400 more Kaiba's dragons.

"Now I play _Diffusion Wave-Motion_!" Yugi bellowed. "By giving up 1,000 of my life-points, _Dark Paladin_ is able to attack all three of your _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_ in a single turn. A small sacrifice to pay to win this duel. _Dark Paladin! _Attack!"

The hologram of Yugi's (**LP: 100**) massive creature used its sword to slice through all three of Kaiba's beasts. These were his favorite cards in all of Duel Monsters, virtually indestructible only years prior, and they were wiped out in one move right before his eyes. Kaiba's life points ticked from **4000 **to **0**, as the counter on his arm signaled he had lost the duel. (**Kaiba LP: -200**)

"No! How could I lose? You only had 100 Life points left, and I was untouched the entire duel. This makes no sense." Kaiba slumped down onto his knees as his duel disk collapsed from his arm.

"Kaiba," Yugi called from across the arena as the holograms dissipated on the playing field. "You know why you lost."

"Don't start with this again."

"It's because you forgot what it is you duel for. Power, hatred, glory…you will never win if you are led so blindly…"

"Save it, Yugi." Kaiba snapped. "I've heard this all before so change the broken record. Your little friendship speech is getting really old."

"Kaiba, the only advantage I have over you is that I've opened my mind and my heart to my friends. They give me the strength I need to overcome my toughest challenges. Even you have been there to inspire me at times, whether you want to believe it or not."

"If you're referring to Battle City, the only reason why I helped you was because I refused to see you lose to that psychotic Marik freak. If you are going to go down, it will be by my hand." Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he began to step down from the dueling platform.

"But what happens if I lose to someone else? What if someone steps up and is simply better than I am. What would that leave you with then? Even you, Seto Kaiba, cannot control fate."

"That will never happen. There is only one person on Earth strong enough to defeat you, and that's me," Kaiba grabbed his briefcase, preparing to leave.

"You're wrong Kaiba. You will never be able to beat me with your heart so full of hatred. Even Mokuba begins to doubt you," Yugi stepped aside as Joey, Tea, Tristan stood behind him, Mokuba nestled between the group.

The sight rocked Kaiba to his core. "Mokuba? Mokuba! What do you think you are doing? Come back here!"

"No Seto, I'm tired of choosing sides. I'm sick of defending you. Listen to what Yugi has to say! He's right!!!" Tears welled in the boy's eyes.

"You've been brainwashed. I've had enough of your lectures, Yugi! What have you done to my brother?!"

Yugi crossed his arms. "All I have done is open his mind. Now he sees the world as he truly should. Without hate, without greed, without revenge. Without you, Kaiba."

Kaiba dropped his briefcase and clenched his fists, storming toward the group. "How DARE you speak about how I take care of my brother. You have no idea how to live for another, caring for them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I've raised Mokuba like he's my own son. Do you know how much I've sacrificed!? How DARE you!!"

"Seto, stop it!" Mokuba shouted. "This is what I'm talking about! You are impossible to live with. I can't stand you anymore!" Tears flowed from the boy's eyes.

"Kaiba. This is how Mokuba truly feels, free from the blinders. He'll be much happier with us from now on…" Yugi stepped in front of Mokuba defensively.

Kaiba's anger had reached its peak. "Shut up, Yugi! Just shut up!" He rushed toward the boy and aimed a punch at his face. His fist stopped inches from Yugi's face, frozen in place by a mystical force.

Yugi smirked, not bothered by Kaiba's attempt to knock his head off. "Your hatred has led Mokuba away from you. You are alone now, Kaiba. There is no one to comfort you but your machines and technology, and soon you will lose your company too."

Kaiba continued to batter the invisible barrier. "Shut up! Shut up! I will make you shut your mouth!!!" The Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck began to glow and a force knocked Kaiba completely off his feet. He began to fall, first through the floor and then into the inky blackness below.

"Sorry Kaiba. Fate has decided this. You've lost so much more than a duel." Yugi's voice echoed in the black depths as Kaiba continued to fall backward, further down and down and…

"Mr Kaiba?! Sir? Wake up, Sir!" A female voice ran over the intercom on Kaiba's office desk.

Kaiba snapped awake from his nightmare, rubbing his eyes furiously. He had fallen asleep reviewing Kaiba Corporation's quarterly income reports for a budget hearing the next day. He pressed a button on the desk to activate his side of the intercom.

"What?! Amanda! How long have I been out?"

"Umm, it's 11:00 now, Mr. Kaiba. Closing time, Sir. Time to shut down and clock out. Mr. Anthony is here to take you home."

"You've waited until closing to wake me up?! If I were you, I'd start looking in the classified for a new job!"

"But…but…but…how was I supposed to know…er…" Amanda's voce was clearly strained and hurt as she grasped for a way to save her job, and spare Kaiba's unreasonable anger. "I…I…have you all set up for tomorrow, Sir. You have a press conference at 9am, lunch with a client at 12, meeting with a few Board candidates at 3pm, and two more meetings with potential clients at 5pm and 8pm. Big day tomorrow, Mr. Kaiba." Amanda paused, and Kaiba could hear the smirk behind her words. "…not a good day to fire your longest tenured secretary…"

Kaiba smirked. "I wouldn't be so proud over a two-month tenure. We'll see how tomorrow goes, but I'd still look in the classifieds."

"This is still a pretty packed schedule, Sir. Are you sure it's best to do all of this in one day? In one shot like this?"

"Yes, I have vowed to put KaibaCorp back on its feet, and I will make due on that promise. See you bright and early tomorrow." Kaiba switched off the intercom, grabbed his jacket, briefcase, dueling deck, and began toward the elevator. Pressing the buttons, he got a sudden chill as Yugi's voice from his earlier nightmare reverberated in his head.

"_You are alone now, Kaiba. There is no one to comfort you but your machines and technology, and soon you will lose your company too_." The words were too real for Kaiba's liking. In the aftermath of his defeat in the Battle City Tournament, many KaibaCorp clients called for the resignation of the young CEO, after so many public defeats and humiliation.

Besides his little brother, KaibaCorp was the most important thing to the boy, a company he redesigned from the ground-up from a Weapons Manufacturer to Electronics and Gaming Development. Kaiba feared that in anyone else's hands, the company would revert back to its former deadly purpose. He had to do a lot of legwork to convince investors that they could still believe in him, and with a complete Board of Directors, they may have been able to successfully oust him from the company.

Kaiba traveled down the vast network of elevators and hallways, and out the main glass doors of the KaibaCorp building. There a tall man in a suit leaned against a long black limousine. "Late night, Sir?" He asked as he opened the door for Kaiba to enter.

"No Anthony," Kaiba replied with a sneer as he clambered inside. "It's only 11, the night's still young. Yes, it's late. I'm tired. Take me home, if you please."

Anthony closed the door and took his usual post in the driver's seat. "Anything you say, Sir." He revved the engine and the car began toward the Kaiba mansion. "You know, Mister Kaiba, when I brought little Mokuba home today, he seemed awfully upset about something."

Kaiba's eyes widened as Anthony's words so closely mirrored his dream. "Yeah? How so?"

"Well between the 'stuff it' he gave me when I asked about his day, and the 'screw you' when I asked what was wrong, I'd say he had some type of argument with his corporate boss of a brother. He was his usual chipper self when I brought him here from school."

"Well that 'corporate boss of a brother' signs your paychecks, so why don't you stick to what I pay you for, and trade your non-existent psychology degree for your driver's license." Kaiba replied, his voice cold as ice.

The ride was quiet for a few moments before Anthony spoke up again. "Caught that card game you kids play on the news today. Some spiky-haired kid with these super rare…"

"Anthony, if you value your job, shut up and drive."

"Just trying to help, Mr. Kaib-"

"I don't need your help." The car roared on into the night as Kaiba contemplated just how quickly his life turned downhill.


End file.
